Turbine wheel



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ZIMRI BURNHAM, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

TURBINE WHEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 404,340, dated May 28, 1889. Application filed July 3, 1888. Serial No. 278,920%. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ZIMRI IV. BURNHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Turbine \Vheels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of turbine wheels in which the water is received at the upper and discharged at the lower side of a wheel revolving in a horizontal plane; and the objects of my invention are to provide a simple and efficient device having but few parts and cheaply manufactured. I accomplish these results by the construction and mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevation of a device embodying my invention, the side of the Wheel being broken away to show the form of the buckets; Fig. 2, a vertical section of the same on the line 00 0c of Fig. 8; and Fig. 3 a plan View of the same with a portion of the annular chamber broken away to show the buckets.

A is an annular chamber, which is supplied with water under pressure through a pipe, A, tangentially connected to said annular chamber, which has the same sectional area at its point of junction with said pipe and tapers regularly .in its vertical dimension from thence, terminating as the circuit is completed. The underside of said chamber is in a horizontal plane and is provided with an annular opening corresponding to the internal area of said chamber, within which is fitted the upper edges of the vertical flanges G G of the wheel B, in such a manner as to form a reasonably-tight joint and permit the free rotation of the wheel. Between said flanges and connecting the same are the buckets D, which at their upper ends present a concave surface, d, to the action of the incoming water, thence being extended downward and backward and underlapping each other any convenient distance, and terminating at the bottom of the flanges G G, forming dischargeopenings F. These buckets, as they extend back, are progressively lowered at their outer edges relative to their inner edges, thus giving them a downward inclination toward the peripheryof the wheel, and have also short flanges E extended forward from their upper ends, which are inclined downward and out ward in like manner.

C is the shaft, having the wheel B attached, and supported in any suitable bearings.

Any suitable gate may be placed in the pipe A to regulate or shut oif the flow of water. By reducing the area of the chamber A as the water escapes downward the momentum of the remaining water is maintained. By the outward inclination of the buckets andwtheir flanges E the water is allowed to move in greater volume near the periphery of the wheel, where it acts with greater leverage and efliciency.

By the downward pressure and spiral movement of the water I utilize its gravity in its descent over the inclined planes of the buckets, and by the extended buckets and contracted openings F, I utilize the reaction of the discharge, thus altogether securing a very effective wheel.

The hub and inner flange of wheel B are connected by an imperforate web, as shown, which obviates any hinderance to the movement of the wheel when under water, as is the case when spokes are employed, since the spokes revolving in the water retard the turbine with a power equal to the vertical surface area of the severalspokes beating against the water.

By the form and manner of construction described the device consists of few parts, easily fitted up and requiring but little machine-Work in finishing.

What I claim and wish to secure is as follows:

1. In a turbine, the combination of a wheel having a pair of concentric vertical annular flanges at its periphery, with a series of underlapping buckets having concaved upper ends and extended downwardly and rearwardly from said concaved portion, and also having short'forwardly and downwardly i11- clined flanges extending from their upper ends, all substantially as described.

2. The combination of the water-chamber A, constructed substantially as described,

with the wheel B, having a pair of annular wardly inclined short flanges, all substan- 1o peripheral flanges, G G, the upper edges of tially as and for the purpose Specified.

which fit into an annular opening in the bot In testimony whereof I affix my signature tom of chamber A, and which are connected in presence of two Witnesses.

by an im )erforate web with the hub, and the r ,7 series of similar underlapping buckets, l), AIMRI LURNHAM' having downwardly, outwardly, and rear- \Vitnesses:

wardly inclined extensions, eoncaved upper LUTHER V. hilOUL'ION,

ends, and forwardly, downwardl y, and out- MARK M. POWERS. 

